Holiday wrap-up

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Posted by on January 3, 2011 at 12:08 pm

The early bird gets the worm (again).

I’m usually the early bird, unless the worm is something I didn’t even know about or unless all of my other bird friends withheld the information from me. What am I talking about? The ginger bread house kits that all of my friends bought, put together and decorated with their kids. Guess who didn’t even know about said kits?

Yes you guessed it, lamemom didn’t. And while you may not be surprised, I am surprised that none of my clever and eager friends shared their gingerbread house info until it was too late to obtain the famed Trader Joe’s gingerbread house kits for $4. But I forgive my friends for not sharing with me. Next year I’ll be on the ball.

I imagine that some people actually bake and cut the items out to make the house (I couldn’t even do it with paper) and buy the candy and make the frosting to make the perfect (and probably delicious) gingerbread house — and I applaud the their artistic abilities and their free time. Even with the time, a case of wine and my dream kitchen, I would not take that route. And because I didn’t think of it until December 22, the pre-fab version wasn’t available to us. What did we do? We happily slapped less than $10 down and left with two gingerbread man kits. All the frosting and decorating fun that one could ask for, and nothing tasted good enough to actually eat it — perfect. Next year I’ll be first to buy those houses. And I’m going to tell everybody about – the second I safely get mine purchased.

I know better

Santa drops off books and new jammies at our house on Christmas Eve and this year was no exception. This year, however, he was just a little too busy (or scattered) and forgot to wash the jammies he left for my son Jake. In the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, Jake entered my room and said he was itchy. I touched his stomach in the dark and immediately realized he had a raging rash–bumps on top of bumps — all over his legs, stomach and back. It looked like the heat rash he gets in the summer… but I knew he was allergic to something in his Batman jammies. Rats. Silly Santa. Aquaphor (our cure for everything) and fresh pjs solved the immediate problem and he went right back to sleep. Next year I’ll make sure Santa washes them. And have Benadryl on hand.

Favorite gifts

In spite of way too much time spent thinking about and shopping for our modest (truly) Christmas, the most popular items at our house this year? The orange Tic Tacs that Santa left in the stockings and the ribbons that he put on the gifts. Just like everybody always says. Obviously, there wasn’t any bubble wrap on any of the gifts or that might have even beat the TicTacs. Next year I’m buying even fewer things, and I’m going to try to keep track so I don’t find a “whoopsee” bag full of more stuff. Although, I have to admit that it was pretty fantastic to hear 3-year old Jenn (who remembered it was Christmas morning, unlike her brother) say to him when she woke up and went to the tree, “There are more presents! Santa DID come!”

New Year’s — back to reality

We spent the entire holiday – two weeks – at our cottage. It was amazing: no (or minimal) work for the grown-ups, lots of snow to shovel, ice to skate on, fires to make. But as part-time country mice, (which means part-time spoiled city mice) we also suffered (please know I use suffer loosely!) a bit: no babysitters, no eating out and NOT ONE place to deliver anything — not even pizza. Oh, and no building guys to help with the snow removal. When we got home last night I could hardly wait to order groceries and order dinner.